The investment is part of Bt13 billion that the national carrier is investing at the new airport under its THAI City Complex project, located in the north terminal area.

THAI's managing director for its ground support equipment services department, Pethai Boonyaves, said the company had completed two buildings to prepare for the provision of ground services.

It will have six operating units at Suvarnabhumi: administration, meeting and conference rooms, aircraft and ramp areas, major maintenance, minor maintenance, parking lots and remote buildings.

The ground service department will oversee airlines' landings and departures, luggage sorting, power supply, aircraft cleaning, and internal transportation.

THAI plans to move all ground services from Don Muang to Suvar-nabhumi in September. However, it may transfer earlier if the airport is ready to open ahead of schedule.

The main building is prepared for office operations, while the second is located near the hangar so that THAI can service airlines.

"Once we have moved to the new base, we will hire 796 more employees: 100 permanent staff and the rest outsourced," said Pethai.

The department now has 2,676 employees, both permanent and temporary.

He said the department would also revamp all services to meet international standards by applying more technologies and improving human resource skills.

At the new airport, THAI will provide separate luggage-belt lines between departure and transfer areas. This service is now used only in newly opened airports such as those in Japan and Australia.

For security measures, a body-search system will be installed at all buildings' entrances instead of the traditional manual system. Moreover, the department will try to decrease the number of complaints, particularly concerning lost items and broken luggage.

Parking areas will be separate from working areas for security reasons.

Moreover, the department will allow only secure trained staff to carry out cabin-cleaning services, to protect against any security risk.

"In 2005, the department received 4,000-5,000 luggage complaints. To solve this problem, we will be working more closely with police to follow up," said Pethai.

The department has projected revenue of Bt2.8 billion this year, an increase from Bt2.6 billion in 2005, he added. The company expects to earn higher profits because it will serve more and bigger aircraft at the new airport.

"We are now serving 68 airlines at Don Muang. But we can't earn so much money because there are many small aircraft. At Suvarnabhumi, we will serve bigger aircraft and that means higher returns," saidd Pethai.

He also said the provision of ground services would be more competitive at Suvarnabhumi because there would be a new player in the form of Bangkok Airways' joint venture with a foreign company. However, he expects to keep most of THAI's customers by providing new services with higher standards.

"We hope to become a world-class ground-service provider," said Pethai. 

 Suchat Sritama

 The Nation